The spooling of a predetermined amount of wire or cable onto a take-up spool has in the past been a rather slow and tedious process involving the expenditure time and effort and at considerable expense to the manufacturer or processor of the wire or cable. In addition, protection of the operator and surrounding equipment has generally been accomplished successfully with separate individual components, each performing independently of the others.
For example, the need is generally provided to wind up a flexible spooling material such as insulated cable or the like onto adjacently positioned spools mounted on parallel shafts for alternate spooling. In general, the spooling operation proceeds on a first rotating spool and is then transferred to a second empty spool during which time the first full spool is replaced with an empty spool so that the process may be repeated. In operating such equipment the speeds are extremely high (normally the stock speed is approximately 1,500 feet per minute) and the close proximity of the spools is such that the spooling operation requires closely spaced and highly sequenced precision equipment to protect the product and the surrounding machinery.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,589 relates to an apparatus and method for continuous spooling in which the apparatus is specially constructed to dependably and reliably insure proper transfer of the stock material from one take-up spool to the other with significant speed and smooth operation.
My commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,325 relates to a guard for power driven spool winder in which a separate guard door is provided for each take-up spool positioned at the front of the housing, the spools being mounted on dual parallel shafts. Heretofore the provision of multi-function guard means which not only provides operator protection in multiple directions but which also functions to maintain a continuous spooling operation has not been known. In particular, the provision of guard means to provide operator and component protection has not normally been made capable to interpose in the sequence of high speed operation to promote smooth continuous spooling of high speed spooling stock with orderly and normal cutting and transfer from the filling spool to the empty spool and back once again to repeat the process.
I have invented an apparatus which includes such guard means whereby the guard means provides dual frontal operator protection and spool-to-spool slap-guard and component protection with significant interposing functional components which guide the high speed stock so as to be snagged for filling the empty spool while cutting the high speed stock in simultaneous fashion so as to promote smooth and orderly transfer from the filling spool to the empty spool. In addition, my invention provides unique structural and operative guard members so arranged such that rotation of the outer guard means is prevented by the inner guard means in both the open and closed positions except as provided in the normal sequence of operation. This arrangement significantly provides operator protection when the operator's action is intentional or inadvertent.